Canada

Health Canada approved the barbiturate Secobarbital for assisted-suicide. Stefanie Green, president and co-founder of the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers, told the Canadian Press Secobarbital is “kind of the barbiturate of choice because (its) quicker onset and duration is such that the dying period is reduced.” CP reported that making the sedative available could increase self-administered assisted suicides … Aubert Martin, executive director of Vivre dans la Dignitie (Living with Dignity), said that official Quebec statistics on “medical aid in dying” show that demand for euthanasia and assisted-suicide in the province was on par with the rate for demand in Belgium after the country’s sixth year with euthanasia, and that by the second year in la belle province’s assisted-suicide regime, it was experiencing levels of euthanasia requests equal to Belgium’s in year eight. In 2015-16, there were 469 euthanasia deaths, and in 2016-17, there were 638. The Commission sur les soins de fin de vie found 52 cases of infringements of so-called safeguards in the first two years, yet according to the Quebec College of Physicians, “no case justified a punitive intervention.” Martin observed, “these two years of euthanasia in Quebec have turned the exceptional measure into a promotable solution” … The CBC pulled the British Broadcasting Corporation documentary “Transgender Kids: Who Knows Best,” hours before it was scheduled to air on the state broadcaster after a Change.org petition and reaction on Twitter from “non-binary” activists complained that it “disseminates inaccurate information about trans youth and gender dysphoria, and will feed transphobia,” according to transgender activist Joshua Ferguson. The documentary included interviews with Kenneth Zucker, former director of gender identity clinic at Toronto’s Center for Addiction and Mental Health, who was fired in 2016 because he opposes “gender affirmation” for children under 18 years of age. Zucker says that most children who believe they are the opposite sex will revert to identifying as their biological sex by the time they become an adult. The CBC released a statement on Twitter saying, “We think there are other docs that better offer insight into the realities of the transgender community and we look forward to airing those in the future” … The Federation des Femmes du Quebec, which represents 300 provincial feminist groups, selected transgender activist Gabrielle Bouchard, who was born male, as its new president.

United States

On Dec. 5, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in “Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission,” to determine whether a cake-maker, Jack C. Phillips, can be forced to produce a wedding cake for a same-sex “marriage.” In 2012, Charlie Craig and David Mullins were refused service by Phillips and they complained to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission under the “public accommodation” rules of the state which prohibits businesses from picking and choosing amongst customers based on various protected classes of people, including sexual orientation. Phillips argues that that his designed cakes are a form of speech and that he should not be compelled to express support same-sex “marriage” in violation of his Christian beliefs … The Washington Post reports that policy analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were told by Trump administration officials that it is prohibited from using seven words or phrases, including “fetus” and “transgender” in official documents. No reason was given and the White House has not confirmed the story … Senator Ted Cruz (R, Texas) successfully amended the Senate version of the tax reform bill to allow parents to use tax-free 529 savings accounts, previously reserved for college tuition and expenses, for private and parochial schools and homeschooling from kindergarten through Grade 12 … Doctors at Baylor University say a woman gave birth after a successful, temporary uterus transplant. Liza Johannesson, a doctor who completed a successful uterus transplant in Sweden in 2014 before joining the team in Baylor, told the New York Times it was important to replicate the surgery: “To make the field grow and expand and have the procedure come out to more women, it has to be reproduced.”

International

An appellate court in Norway has ruled that the city of Sauherad must pay 600,000 Norwegian Krone to Katarzyna Jachimowicz for violating the physician’s conscience rights after firing her in 2015. The Polish immigrant was hired by the city in 2010 with the understanding she would not commit abortions or insert inter-uterine devices. In 2014, the conservative government of the Progress Party rescinded conscience rights for health care workers in regards to birth control and the following year, Jachimowicz was fired for not inserting IUDs. She lost her first trial, but the appeal court ruled in her favour … Polish Law and Justice Party Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told Polish Catholic television channel Telewizja Trwam his government wants to “transform Europe” and “re-Christianize Europe.” Poland has been singled out by European Union officials for its pro-life and pro-family laws.